Rethink

The guys at Rethink Advertising know what they’re doing.

Advertising in Detroit

I hear things. Oh yes, people speak to each other behind thick glasses, through cardboard paper-towel tubes. They talk about strange things, and Advertising in Detroit.

It’s a bit depressed. Accounts changing places, clients leaving, jobs moving here and there, but mostly there. I’m glad people aren’t buying such giant, environmental monstrosities of vehicles as often. But I hope that some new things come along, to take their place in the advertising world. Let’s make little tiny cars, or gum that you can chew after you drink soda, so your teeth don’t disintegrate.

Talent costs less, but everyone uses the same people. That’s why we have to go. We have to get out. Or, we have to bring the “out,” in. Freshen things up. Get resourceful.

It’s a good time to be in Advertising. Because it’s a good time to be in anything. Because no one knows what’s going to happen. And everyday, everyone has an equal chance to do something great.

Mad Men, Madder Women

Well, so far.

I’ve only watched the first two episodes of Mad Men, (purchased through iTunes), suppressing the urge to take long drags from a cigarette. I don’t smoke, but everyone in the show does. It’s elegant. It’s… what everyone did in the ’60s, especially in Advertising Agencies.

It’s a show about the glory days of advertising. I wasn’t there, but apparently, it used to be glamorous and frivolous and desirous and all the other “ouses.” People drinking with their feet up on their desks all day, brilliantly playing a game with no rules. Cool.

But the show is more than that. It hits you with alarming bits of human behavior, combining life in the ’50s and the Ad world. Mostly sexism. Lots of sexism. Sexism sexism.

It doesn’t bother me. It’s not real anymore. And that’s the difference between me and some women that I work with, at an advertising agency. I doubt that they care that the show is about advertising, but I know that they could only sit through the first 10 minutes before turning the channel in feminine disgust.

Enough about that. I like the show. I’m going to keep watching. Maybe I’m seeing into the minds of some older heads in advertising, and know what they’re dreaming of. The good old days. So, the next time a creative director puts his feet up on the desk to read a script I’ve just handed him, I’ll imagine the sound of clinking ice cubes and the dry crackle of a hot cigarette.

Googling for Candidates?

Be careful where you click. Presidential candidates are buying key search terms on Google, which means many people will find themselves reading about the candidate with the most spending power… just because the candidate spent the most money.

But that’s nothing new. The scary part? “It seems to be working,” said Jeremy Crane, director-search and online media at web analytics firm Compete. “People are clicking on these links.” – Ad Age

Whether they are finding the pages they wanted more easily, or are landing on the opponent’s page, is not clear. But it’s definitely another reason to get your head into the Google search game.

Which, to the surprise of most, doesn’t mean buying search terms. There’s another way. All you have to do is keep a WordPress weblog (like this one) and update it regularly. Using specific keywords and categories relevant to your topic will bring you to the top of Google searches. And what’s better than being at the top of Google (for free)?

So… why don’t political candidates have blogs? Some do. But they all should. And so should everyone else, with something to say.

I learned a lot about the web in Dayton, Ohio at a Websitetology seminar. Go to one. You’ll learn a whole lot, meet some cool people, and get a free muffin from Starbuck’s.

Art Van Furniture: “Interest”

MUSIC UP
MAN: Jumbo Shrimp? Hah! Nothing jumbo about a shrimp.
And Grape Nuts? Where are the grapes? Where are the nuts?

Some things just don’t make sense. Like when we say ‘no interest,’ and suddenly everyone’s interested.

But I can see why- no interest is interesting. Especially when it’s no interest ‘til 2010 with no down payment, on everything at Art Van.

If there was more interest, no one would be interested.

It’s this weekend- no interest until 2010, with no down payment.
Interested?

The Wall Street Journal Brings Back the Interview Ad

I found this advertisement/profile of Helmut Krone in The Copy Workshop Workbook, for The Wall Street Journal:

Reading the July 30 issue of Ad Age, I came across a modern version of the ad, again for The Wall Street Journal:

Both Krone and Lubars were/are prominent figures in the world of Advertising. Cool.

The Advertising Equivalent of “That Creepy Guy”

 

Boring ads suck. But somehow, that doesn’t stop clients and agencies from paying a lot of money to put them in very popular media outlets.

…this is the advertising equivalent of thinking that if you can discover the address of someone you find attractive and then arrange for a helicopter to drop you through her skylight, you’re in business. Which is hardly the case. Yes, you may now be in her boudoir. But the likelihood of your getting arrested or shot vastly exceeds your chances of getting anywhere else.

Like the creepy guy at the end of the bar, who came alone in a very expensive (rented) suit. He’s shouting at everyone, telling them about himself. Even the bartender is reluctant to make eye contact, and everyone else quickly ignores that whole area of the club.

Just like a bad ad, in rented space that everyone knows to ignore. We’re all experts at ignoring advertisements, but lots of money still goes into making boring ads. Why?

• The client thinks that crashing through your boudoir is all they have to do, and the agency simply provides the helicopter.
• They don’t know the difference between engaging and boring advertising, but they think they’re doing it right.
• They have to make something, anything, and they don’t care if it’s good.
• They are crazy.

It’s easy to ignore something, and easy to make something worth ignoring. The game begins once you know how to be interesting.